Some would say that fifteen years isn’t that long for a TV show to be judged as an enduring or great one, but when you’ve only had one season with 14 episodes and a movie to follow up. Granted, the movie never got the same rating, or even close to that of the TV show, yet it still remains intensely popular. What made it so popular?

The Setting

Somewhere in the 26th century a crew of nine people go through space and provide you with a different view into the future. This isn’t your typical sci-fi future where you’d get space battles and lots of action. While you do get your fair share of action, given that the crew tends to do illegal things more often than not, the characters and cinematography are worth so much more.

Imagine a mix of space travel, the wild west and the far east all in one. It sounds like it would be a completely terrible idea, or a very good one. Luckily for everyone, it turned out to be the latter. Space travel, characters with a very clear personality, everyone different, yet still holding on together.

The crew shares a very special relationship which makes them quite an interesting bunch, another thing that sets the show apart.

The Crew

The crew consists of nine people, all of whom are very special in their own way. The captain, Malcolm Reynolds, often called Mal, is a man who’s prone to violence and murder as much as he is to good deeds, especially towards his crew.

His second in command is Zoe Washburne, a war buddy and extremely loyal friend. Needless to say, she knows how to handle a gun. Another one with a vast knowledge of guns and weapons is Jayne Cobb, a mercenary who has more to him than meets the muscle.

The ship’s mechanic is Kaylee Frye, a very gifted girl who while lacking formal training has the right intuition when it comes to engines and all things mechanical. Intuition is also a very developed ability in River Tam, a very intelligent girl, a prodigy who was experimented on by the government, only to be rescued by her brother, Simon Tam, a trauma surgeon.

The ship’s ambassador, Inara Serra, otherwise a companion, which is a mix of a geisha, escort and mistress, stirs tension between her and the captain, and helps them land on almost any planet.

The ship’s piloted by Hoban Washburne, a very cheerful fellow and husband to Zoe. Last is Derrial Book, a Shepherd, who also has a dark past and lots of knowledge of illegal things.

You could see how a crew of so many individuals could make for a fun adventure.